Chapter 164
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Yggdrasil, Green Wave, Dragon of Death - 4
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The moment the white airship, Prydwen, plunged into the massive hole in the ground, Maru gathered the scattered building debris from the surroundings and sealed the opening tight.
Kwwwaaaaack—
"I blocked it with all the strength I could muster, but... hmm... did we buy maybe one or two seconds?"
It was an uncharacteristically skeptical judgment for Maru.
After all, hadn't Nidhogg burst through the ground and buildings with its own body?
No matter how solidly they blocked this hole, the beast would tear through it like paper.
"Still, one second can be the difference between getting caught and succeeding..."
Lee Hyun-wook said, turning his head to look back.
He had seen it shoot into the sky in a frenzy just before they entered, so Nidhogg would soon be chasing them from behind.
‘If we get caught in this narrow passage, we’re doomed.’
Previously, they had been able to gain an advantage in their clash with Nidhogg because the battlefield was the wide-open sky.
If they collided in this tight space, they wouldn't survive even ten seconds...
'...We have to shake it off, using every trick in the book.’
Lee Hyun-wook raised the Mana Messenger.
"Ah, Mr. Harris, can you hear me?"
- Dammit, before you pull a stunt like this, couldn't you at least tell me? Why in the world did you go into that hole?
"Sorry, there was no time. And there's something I need your help with right now."
- Right, I've got a rough idea of the situation. Seeing that bastard Nidhogg tearing after you, it must have hidden something important in that hole. Should I constrict the roots to block its path?
"Yes, that's exactly right."
Right now, Prydwen was navigating a dark, tangled mess of tunnels, guided by Emilia Müller's 'Holy Light'.
Grrrrrind—
Soon, the passage behind Prydwen began to narrow as Yggdrasil's roots tightened, until not even a mouse could pass through.
It was Donald Harris, exercising his authority as the World Tree's administrator.
'But that, too, is only buying a little time.'
According to Donald Harris, the only reason they had been able to imprison the monster Nidhogg in the root prison was because it had been weakened, and on top of that, they had placed the ultimate holy relic, the 'Saint Dome'.
But now that it had been released and regained its full power, the World Tree's roots would be nothing more than a slightly annoying spiderweb to it, and the Saint Dome's holy power would be merely an unpleasant heat.
And sure enough...
Crunch— Crack—
A brutal sound began closing in from behind.
The sound of it tearing through the earth, ripping apart roots...
Crunch— Crack—
It was as if a metal grinder was chasing them from behind.
Furthermore, mixed in with that sound was the sound of furious breathing.
"How dare mere humans insult me—!"
"Ah..."
The moment they registered the voice, everyone let out an involuntary groan.
"S-Suddenly, I feel sick..."
Lee Hyun-wook was unaffected thanks to the 'Mental Barrier' he'd gained as a Dragon Slayer, but the others must have felt their strength draining from their bodies.
"Here, everyone, come into this light!"
Thankfully, Emilia Müller conjured a white flame that dispelled 'abnormal statuses'. Standing near it allowed them to escape the terror of the Dragon Fear.
However...
Crunch— Crack—
The roaring sound from behind was rapidly getting closer, and everyone could instinctively feel it.
That only a few seconds remained before that terrible sound was right on top of them...
"Shit, sorry, but can't you go any faster?"
A pale-faced Kim Se-hee shouted at Yeo Sang-min, who was piloting Prydwen.
"Dammit, how am I supposed to navigate these winding tunnels any faster? Ugh..."
He, too, was on edge, but even as he yelled back, he increased the speed.
This would make the airship harder to control and drastically increase the risk of hitting the walls, but he judged it was better than being chewed up by Nidhogg.
Crunch— Crack—
In contrast, Nidhogg seemed to be traversing the complex tunnels at incredible speed; with its superhuman senses, it could navigate the winding passages as freely as flowing water.
If Donald Harris hadn't sealed the roots, they would have already been caught and torn to shreds.
Just then...
Kwwwaaaaack—!
Behind them, the most recently tightened roots were torn open like a curtain, and a pair of red eyes emerged from the gap.
"Found—you—insects—!"
Pushing through the torn roots, its massive body approached like a dark storm cloud.
"No— It's right behind us!"
At that moment, a terrified Park Jun-mo shot electricity from both hands, and the world flashed a brilliant blue.
Bzzzzzzzt—!
The tunnel became like a high-voltage wire as an immense amount of current flooded the entire passage, enough to scorch Yggdrasil's roots black and set them on fire.
But...
Bzz—zz—zz—!
Nidhogg, caught in the blast, didn't even blink, simply pushing its head forward and charging.
"At this rate, we'll be caught in no time! Give it everything you've got!"
Lee Hyun-wook unleashed and detonated all of his 'Fire Traps', Kim Se-hee fired a barrage of wind blades, and Emilia Müller shot out arrows of light.
They all poured out everything they had.
KABOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!
But Nidhogg wasn't pushed back in the slightest.
If they had been in a continuous straight section, it would have unleashed its breath and melted Prydwen whole... but thankfully, curves kept appearing just in time.
"It's all useless, so accept your deaths—!"
In that instant, Prydwen accelerated to maximum speed.
"—We're here! Hold on tight!"
Whoooooosh—!
As Yeo Sang-min pulled the controls, the Gnome-made engine unleashed its maximum output, and the surrounding air distorted like plastic wrap.
Immediately after, it shot through a straight section hundreds of meters long in the blink of an eye.
Fwoosh—!
"—We made it!"
The deep, vast darkness that even the Saintess's Holy Light couldn't illuminate proved that they had finally escaped the narrow passage and entered a wide cavern.
Immediately after, Yeo Sang-min sharply turned the controls, and Prydwen gained altitude, rising toward the ceiling.
At the same time, Lee Hyun-wook leaped out of the ramp door and shouted behind him.
"—Emilia, find the Life Vessel, now!"
If they destroyed that, Nidhogg would die instantly, ending the fight without them ever having to face its second phase.
'In my past life, it took too long to figure that out, and Nidhogg destroyed dozens of cities.'
Dragon Slayers from all over the world united to face it, and despite landing numerous fatal blows, the beast did not fall.
The reason was that it had used advanced death magic to separate its 'source of life' from its body and hide it somewhere.
Right here, inside the root prison where it had been confined...
If they hadn't known, Nidhogg would have been the worst disaster imaginable. But conversely, knowing this... it could actually be the easiest prey to hunt.
"You wretch, what in the world do you know that you dare to come here—!"
Soon, the thickest root at the entrance of the prison was torn away as Nidhogg burst in, simultaneously opening its maw wide.
'Dammit, it's about to fire its Dragon Breath!'
Getting hit by that meant certain death.
No matter how large the cavern, the area to evade was limited, making it extremely dangerous.
'But conversely, it also leaves itself defenseless.'
In a way, Dragon Breath was like a giant cannon.
To unleash such immense firepower, it had to endure the equal and opposite reaction—the recoil—which meant it had to maintain a relatively fixed posture.
Simply put...
'A big attack always creates a big opening!'
Lee Hyun-wook summoned the AD-2 engraved on his left wrist, took out Balmung, mixed it with his other weapons, and sent them flying toward the beast's head.
'Maybe... I can land a solid hit.'
In the meantime, a black shimmer began to boil inside the beast's throat, and a pillar of black fire erupted.
Fwoooosh—!
It struck near the ceiling—Yggdrasil's roots began to melt, and the beast swung its head, spraying the acid breath in all directions.
The entire cavern filled with the acrid stench of acid and the aura of death.
"Tch, everyone, scatter!"
The party leaped from Prydwen and scattered, while Lee Hyun-wook imbued Prydwen with mana, turning it into a shield.
And at that very moment—
Thunk!
Balmung slammed into its left eye.
"Kuaaaaargh—!"
As mentioned before, an opening had appeared due to its fixed posture, and Lee Hyun-wook's strike, aimed at that opening, had hit its mark perfectly.
'Good, I landed a solid hit.'
Of course, it would use recovery magic soon, but just disabling one of its eyes for a moment bought them time.
"Now, Emilia! Find it, quickly!"
"Dammit, I'm trying! But this place is huge!"
While Nidhogg pulled Balmung from its left eye, Lee Hyun-wook summoned 'Hugin' and sent it into the air, beginning to search through the darkness with its transcendent senses.
'It's in here somewhere, so I should be able to find it quickly.'
However, the cavern was larger than a typical football stadium.
Also, since this had been a prison, Nidhogg must have gone to great lengths to hide the 'Life Vessel' so its jailers wouldn't find it.
'Even so, it can't escape my eyes.'
The combination of 'Hugin', a Legendary-grade information-gathering item, and the 'Eye of Horus' rarely missed any information.
But just then, a paw weighing dozens of tons came crashing down from above— Lee Hyun-wook sensed it and rolled across the floor.
KABOOM—!
A heavy impact shook the ground, as if a dump truck had fallen from the sky.
Lee Hyun-wook rolled and rolled again to evade the attack, then summoned Morglay to shield himself.
'Dammit, at this rate, I don't have a moment to spare to turn my eyes and senses elsewhere!'
Whoosh—
Again, a forepaw like a piece of heavy machinery with its accelerator floored came flying from his blind spot.
Lee Hyun-wook angled Morglay, which was shielding him, and parried the attack.
Claaang—!
On impact, Morglay was sent flying hundreds of meters back, embedding itself somewhere with a loud crash.
Without even a moment to retrieve Morglay, Lee Hyun-wook launched himself into the air, escaping the range of Nidhogg's forepaw.
"Come here, you. I shall personally dunk you in acid juice and drink you down—!"
Voom—Voom—Voom—Voom—
As Nidhogg's eyes glowed, magic circles appeared all around, brightly illuminating the darkness.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fire, water, ice, earth, electricity—spells of all attributes rained down from every direction.
It was like spraying an entire room with insecticide just to kill a single small bug; it was an indiscriminate bombardment of the entire cavern.
"Gah!"
Even for Lee Hyun-wook, it was impossible to evade a carpet bombing in such a confined space, and he was eventually caught in a fire spell and thrown to the ground.
'Dammit!'
A bolt of lightning struck down at him—from an angle and position he couldn't possibly dodge. Getting hit by that would leave him on the brink of death, at the very least.
But for some reason, the lightning changed direction and struck a harmless spot.
"Q-Quickly, get out of the way!"
It was Park Jun-mo's voice.
He had controlled the lightning, changing its direction.
Just then, a white line rose from the darkness.
"Hyaaaah—!"
This time it was Peter Clark, the leader of the <White Tree Guard>. He squeezed out all his mana to manifest 'Celestial Sword', known as the strongest attack skill of a holy knight.
A translucent white sword, about ten meters long, materialized in the air. As Peter Clark swung his own sword, it moved in tandem as if remotely controlled, striking down on Nidhogg's back.
Claaang—!
However...
"Hah— How pathetic..."
Fwoom—!
Peter Clark was engulfed in a massive flame and sent flying, disappearing into the darkness dozens of meters away.
Bzzzzzzzt—!
Next, Park Jun-mo fired a series of spears made of electricity at its flank, while Kim Se-hee slashed at the opposite side with blades of wind.
But it was all useless.
They didn't even have the 'Dragon Slayer' title, so they couldn't pierce its barrier. To inflict any meaningful damage, they would have to attack it continuously for at least several dozen minutes.
And behind them, magic circles began to appear one by one.
"—No, get back!"
The two of them had no notable defensive skills, so a single direct hit could kill them instantly.
Fortunately, Lee Hyun-wook had prepared for such a moment by attaching a few pieces of metal to them, and he used them to pull and throw them out of the attack's radius.
At that moment, a bright beam of light shot up from behind Lee Hyun-wook and struck Nidhogg's face.
Tzing—
"—Gah!"
As if blinded, the beast squinted and turned its head away into the darkness.
"Come to think of it, your eyes are more accurate! I'll hold it off, so find that damn thing's location, quick!"
Emilia Müller shouted as she ran toward Lee Hyun-wook.
Yes, she was right.
It would be much faster for Lee Hyun-wook to search.
"Dammit, but..."
If Lee Hyun-wook left the battlefield to search for the Life Vessel... no, if he even looked away for a moment, all four of them were likely to die.
As if sensing his thoughts, Emilia Müller spoke as she passed him.
"You know what's right above us, don't you? My home, the Saint Dome! I can draw on its power, so don't you worry! Now hurry!"
Emilia Müller spread her arms, and in that instant, a white shimmer began to descend from the ceiling.
Vwoooooooom—
She was drawing down all the holy power contained within the Saint Dome, that ultimate holy relic.
The Saintess, who already wielded the strongest holy power, was now handling more than double that amount.
Her eyes began to burn with white light.
"Hoo— You son of a bitch, so a stinking lizard like you has been squatting right under my feet?"
Armor made of light formed around her body, and she slowly began to rise into the air.
"No wonder I've been having such restless dreams..."
It was probably because of her heavy drinking, but she blamed Nidhogg and unleashed her holy power to its maximum.
Whoom—Whoom—Whoom—Whoom—
Faced with an overwhelming holy power that was the antithesis of its dark energy, even Nidhogg flinched and readied its stance.
Chrrrrrrk—
Soon, the holy energy flowing down from the ceiling took shape—it was chains.
They were several times thicker and far more numerous than the chains that had bound the 'Banshee' on Ganghwa Island.
They poured down like a white waterfall, beginning to coil tightly around Nidhogg's entire body.
Sssssss—!
As the two opposing forces clashed, sparks and smoke erupted as if from a short circuit.
"You filthy wench, I have always felt your power. And I have always yearned for the day I would slaughter you. Today is that day—!"
"Shut up, I'm going to chop you into tiny pieces and pickle you in some Eastern-style snake wine!"
"S-Sacrilege!"
Next, a white light began to gather near the ceiling, forming a sphere that emitted a light so intense it was like the appearance of a white dwarf star, impossible to look at directly.
If one could look closely, they would see that it was a giant mace.
"Archangel's Punishment—!"
It was a holy-type attack skill even more powerful than the 'Celestial Sword' Peter Clark had used earlier.
It was a blow containing so much holy power that a direct hit would have instantly killed even that Necromancer.
‘Of course, there had been no opportunity to hit him directly.’
It was impossible to get through the massive undead army he commanded.
But Nidhogg was currently all alone and already bound by holy chains.
Claaang—!
As Archangel's Punishment slammed down on Nidhogg's massive head, a black light began to spread from its head like blood.
The dark power it possessed was vanishing as if evaporating.
"Grrrrr..."
While this was happening, Lee Hyun-wook was meticulously scanning every corner of the cavern with Hugin.
And finally...
- (!) Entrance to Hidden Stage 'Unidentified Crevice'
An unusual piece of information had been caught by his 'Insight Lens'.
'Without the Insight Lens, I would have been searching all day...'
Lee Hyun-wook recalled Morglay and turned his head. It was time to switch with Emilia Müller again.
But just then—
CRASH—!
With a loud explosion, Emilia Müller was sent flying far behind him, visible through Hugin's eyes. One of her arms was gone.
"Even the strongest darkness may lose its power to a handful of light, but conversely, even the brightest light cannot push back the vast darkness. And I... am a darkness like the cosmos..."
Lee Hyun-wook kicked off the ground and shot into the air, simultaneously melting a few metal weapons and wrapping them around her waist and neck, imbuing them with his metal control.
Then he pulled her close, held her in his arms, and evaded the various spells flying toward them.
"Dammit, Emilia— Snap out of it!"
“Cough— Ah, shit, how embarrassing..."
She coughed up a gout of dark blood onto Lee Hyun-wook's chest.
"What the... I haven't been drinking wine..."
"Stop talking nonsense and heal yourself."
Lee Hyun-wook flew straight toward the 'Unidentified Crevice'. The Saintess was in bad shape, but right now, he had no choice but to press forward.
But—
Kwoooaaar—!
The beast shot its acid breath toward that spot, and Lee Hyun-wook was forced to swerve abruptly.
"Hah, this is a bit of a problem..."
To get to the Life Vessel, someone had to hold off the rampaging beast.
But Park Jun-mo, Kim Se-hee, and Peter Clark were not enough.
"You insect bastards, there is nowhere for you to run! You will bow your heads before me and offer up your life force!"
Lee Hyun-wook moved Balmung around above the beast's head to distract it, pondering how to create another 'opening'.
'An opening... I can make one somehow.'
However, the solution came from an entirely different place.
Crackle—
The ceiling—Yggdrasil's roots—parted, and two figures began to descend through the gap.
"Steel Rain, we'll handle this bastard! You go finish your insidious little scheme!"
The two figures were Donald Harris and the Spirit King.
And with them...
Whoooosh—!
A tremendous amount of water, likely drawn from Lake Chad, poured down like a waterfall, soon forming seven pillars of water that began to push Nidhogg's body back.
The combined effort of the Spirit King and an S-rank Spirit Master was truly formidable, and they succeeded in forcing Nidhogg to the far wall.
"Kuaaaargh— You mere mongrels—"
"Steel Rain, now is your chance!"
Even before the Spirit King finished shouting, Lee Hyun-wook had already rushed to the 'Hidden Stage - Unidentified Crevice'.
Scanning the spot, he saw that, as expected, there was nothing visible to the naked eye.
He recalled the keyhole-like 'groove' he had found in the Black Dragon's labyrinth not long ago.
'But I don't have time for that now.'
He simply swung Morglay at the wall.
CRASH—!
A chunk of the wall—the roots—burst open, and a cold, foul air flowed out from within.
Lee Hyun-wook inserted Morglay into the crack and, using it as a lever, pried the opening wider.
Krrack—!
Finally, a space large enough for three or four people, covered in what looked like pieces of scales, was revealed.
It seemed to be a space Nidhogg had created by shedding its own scales, likely to prevent detection by Donald Harris.
Noticing this, Emilia Müller clicked her tongue.
“Ugh— There's an incredibly thick ba-barrier. It's on the same level as a dragon's barrier. Shit, this is going to be a pain..."
As expected, it was protected by a dragon's authority, but...
"No, I'll break it in a second, so get ready."
The moment Morglay, the greatsword of a Dragon Slayer Stage 2, touched it, the barrier disappeared as if it were made of tofu.
And in the center of that space lay a huge black gem.
Vwoooooooom—
It was wreathed in a band of black shimmer, an object that was clearly extraordinary even at a glance.
"That's the Life Vessel..."
As Lee Hyun-wook took a step forward, Emilia Müller grabbed his shoulder with her one remaining arm.
"—Don't, don't get any closer."
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and stepped back.
"Yes, it wouldn't be good to get any closer."
The 'Life Vessel', a container for a lich's life force, was a top-tier death magic spell that would suck the life force out of any living being that got too close, just like a magnet.
That was why 'purification' through holy power was necessary.
Emilia Müller stepped forward.
"Hoo..."
She closed her eyes, and a golden light shone from her severed arm. Soon, the arm regenerated.
Next, she put her hands together in prayer, and a dense holy power flowed from her entire body, forming a sort of barrier. In that state, she strode toward the black gem.
Whoooom—
As she slowly extended both arms forward, a light of purification poured down onto the Life Vessel.
Sssssss—!
Black smoke billowed up, as if water had been poured onto a pile of charcoal.
"Kuaaaaargh—!"
At the same time, Nidhogg's scream erupted, a sign that it was working.
"Alright, it's ready! Smash it, quickly!"
Lee Hyun-wook gripped Morglay with both hands and, with all his might, slammed it down on the black gem.
Tzing—!
In that instant, an immense pressure erupted from within the black gem, pushing back the two-ton Morglay, but Lee Hyun-wook activated Body Hardening and forced the sword's tip forward with all his strength.
Krrrrrack—!
Soon, a distinct crack began to spread across the black gem.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Behind him, all sorts of explosions rang out, accompanied by the groans of the Spirit King and Donald Harris.
Even they wouldn't last long and would lose their lives if they clashed with Nidhogg directly.
Tzing—!
But Lee Hyun-wook was a little faster.
Shaaatter—
The black gem crumbled, turning to dust and disappearing.
- Congratulations! You have defeated 'Nidhogg, the Arbiter of Death'!
- Congratulations! You have achieved a special accomplishment.
- Congratulations! You have satisfied a special condition, and a mysterious power now resides in 'Morglay'.
Soon, all sorts of system messages popped up.
And Morglay changed to the 'Legendary' grade.